Take part in a traditional ice harvest, just as communities did a century ago. Festival also includes ice carving, ice fishing, horse-drawn sleigh rides, snowman village, hot soup buffet, food trucks, blacksmithing and cooking demonstrations, and exhibits by local businesses and farmers. Kids 12 and under get in free; Adults and Teens, $9; Seniors, $7.

[East Meredith, NY January 16, 2019] Hanford Mills Museum in the Catskills’ East Meredith will hold the 30th anniversary Ice Harvest Festival on Saturday, February 2, 2019. Visitors can take part in a traditional ice harvest using historic tools and techniques. Each year seven to eight tons of ice are harvested.

“We call Ice Harvest the region’s coolest tradition; it’s a day of winter fun and hands-on history,” says Hanford Mills executive director Liz Callahan. “There were 75 people at the first Ice Harvest in 1989, and now we regularly welcome 1,200 or more to the Ice Harvest Festival. It’s an opportunity to embrace winter, enjoy the outdoors, and learn about the past in a unique way.”

The popular winter event celebrates an activity that was essential before mechanical refrigeration. People would cut ice from frozen ponds and rivers and then store it in ice houses. In the warmer months, the ice would be used to keep food and agricultural products cold. “Ice was viewed as a winter crop by area farmers,” explains Callahan. The ice harvested at the festival will be used to make ice cream at Hanford Mills Museum’s Independence Day Celebration on July 4.

There is lots of teamwork on display at the Ice Harvest Festival, as everyone works together to fill the ice house. Credit: Kevin Q Gray

Festival features a range of activities

The SUNY Delhi Hospitality Center Ice Team will be transforming blocks of ice into works of art. The Dave Brandt Chapter of Trout Unlimited will offer children the chance to ice fish. Visitors can enjoy a horse-drawn sleigh rides around the Museum site. The Hot Soup Buffet features soup and chili made by area restaurants. There will be blacksmith and historic cooking demonstrations. The Catskill Interpretive Center will have art supplies for visitors to sketch on site, and information on the new Catskill Art Club. Local vendors include Byebrook Farm Farmstead Gouda, Catharina’s Hats and Mittens, Cabana Coffee, and the Cooperstown Distillery. Heat Smart Otsego will offer tours of the Museum’s advanced pellet boiler and district heating system and provide information on clean heating and cooling technologies.

See hanfordmills.org for more information and updates. If the ice is 8 or more inches deep, the public can fully participate in the ice harvest. Because snow acts as an insulator, during the weeks leading up to the Ice Harvest Festival, Museum staff members shovel the pond. “Our staff works hard to ensure a good crop of strong clear ice,” says Callahan. “With the recent single digit temperatures, it’s certainly good ice-making weather.” In recent years, the depth of the ice has ranged from 7 inches to more than 18 inches.

Admission and Information

Children 12 and under receive free admission. Admission for adults and teens is $9; senior admission is $7. Discounts available for teachers, first responders, veterans, members of the military, EBT cardholders, and AAA members. Hanford Mills Museum members receive free admission.

About Hanford Mills Museum

Hanford Mills Museum operates an authentic water- and steam-powered historic site, which includes a sawmill, gristmill and woodworking shop. The mission of Hanford Mills Museum is to inspire audiences of all ages to explore connections among energy, technology, natural resources and entrepreneurship in rural communities with a focus on sustainable choices. The Museum, which is listed on the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places, will open for the 2019 season on May 15.

Hanford Mills is located at 51 County Highway 12 in East Meredith, at the intersection of Delaware County Routes 10 & 12, just 10 miles from Oneonta, and 15 miles from Delhi. For more information, visit www.hanfordmills.org or call 607/278-5744.

[East Meredith, NY August 29, 2018] The ingenuity of the past will be showcased at the 35th annual Dan Rion Memorial Antique Engine Jamboree and Powerfest on Saturday, September 8 from 10 am–4 pm. The Museum grounds will be filled with the rumbles and whirs of antique tractors, cars, trucks, motorcycles, outboard motors, hit and miss engines, water-cooled and air-cooled gas engines

The Museum’s Steam Team will be operating the wood-fired steam boiler plant and horizontal and vertical steam engines. Hanford Mills is one of the few historic sites in the country where visitors can see a wood-fired steam boiler and steam engines in operation.

The machines on exhibit, many dating back to the early 20th century and some to the 19th century, were used for a variety of tasks, including crushing rocks, sawing wood, pumping water, and mixing cement. Antique vehicles, including a 1910 Indian motorcycle, a 1925 Model T Ford, a 1926 Ahrens Fox fire pumper, a 1928 Franklin, 1930 Ford Model A Fordor, and a 1933 Ford pickup truck, also will be featured. The Jamboree includes members of the Southern Tier Antique Gas and Steam Engine Club, the Mohican Model A Club, Antique Outboard Motor Club, Hudson Mohawk Chapter of the Pioneer Gas Engine Association, the Franklin Doodlebug Club, Tired Iron of Butternut Valley, the Model T Ford Club of America. Some of the oldest machines on display include a 1870s treadle lathe, and a Barnes hand-cranked ripsaw from the 1880s. There also will be model engines and remote control model boats on the Mill Pond. Roger Ree will offer rides on the 1957 Metropolitan Nash Hook and Ladder Fire Truck ride from the Catskill Game Farm.

A fire truck fan and his mom enjoy a spin around Hanford Mills Museum on the 1957 Metropolitan Nash Fire Truck ride from the Catskill Game Farm at the Antique Engine Jamboree in 2017. The fire truck ride owner Roger Ree has been coming to the Jamboree for 25 years. He will join more than 40 new and returning exhibitors at the 2018 Jamboree on September 8.

During World War II, new tractors were scarce, so people fashioned tractors from old cars. These homemade tractors were called doodlebugs. Members of the Franklin Doodlebug Club will participate in the Jamboree with a 1928 Chevy Doodlebug, and two 1931 Model A Ford Doodlebugs.

“The Antique Engine Jamboree was one of the first events held at the museum,” says Liz Callahan, the Museum’s executive director. “We are happy to carry on this tradition of showcasing antique engines, machines, and vehicles, and are very grateful to the collectors who share their stories with visitors.” She noted that over the years the Jamboree has been expanded to include renewable energy displays, children’s activities, and steam power demonstrations in the Mill.

The SUNY Oneonta A.J. Read Science Discovery Center will have a hands-on display on energy, which includes a Stirling fan. The Northeast Classic Car Museum will bring their 1928 Franklin and have information about their collection. The Museum’s Learning Lab will be open and have blocks, gears, and simple machines for children to play with. The Stoddard Hollow String Band will play from 11 am to 3 pm, and local vendors will be selling BBQ and pie. Visitors also are welcome to bring a picnic.

Hanford Mills Museum’s 70-acre site will be open to explore. The Jamboree is included with regular Museum admission, which is free for children 12 and under, Museum members, and EBT cardholders.

Hanford Mills Museum will host the Woodsmen’s Festival on October 13. For more information, go to www.hanfordmills.org, or call607.278.5744.

About Hanford Mills Museum

Hanford Mills Museum is open 10 am – 5 pm, Wednesdays through Sundays, and on holiday Mondays through October 14. Hanford Mills Museum is located at 51 County Hwy. 12, at the intersection of Delaware County Routes 10 and 12, in East Meredith, NY, 10 miles from Oneonta and 15 miles from Delhi. Children 12 and under are admitted free, as are Museum members. The admission fee for adults and teens (13-64) is $9; and for senior citizens, $7. AAA and military discounts are available.

As one of only a handful of operating water-powered mills, Hanford Mills Museum has earned a place on both the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places. The mission of Hanford Mills Museum is to inspire audiences of all ages to explore connections among energy, technology, natural resources and entrepreneurship in rural communities with a focus on sustainable choices.

For more information, visit www.hanfordmills.org or call 607.278.5744.

Antique engine enthusiasts from across the region exhibit their steam and gas-powered engines. Tour the Mill powered by the Museum’s steam boiler and steam engines. Jamboree also features bluegrass music, Mill demonstrations, kids’ activities, BBQ, and pies. Festival included with regular admission. Children 12 and under receive free admission. Adults,$ 9; Seniors and AAA members, $7.

[East Meredith, June 22, 2018] Hanford Mills Museum will hold its annual Independence Day Celebration on Wednesday, July 4. Activities include a kids’ fishing derby on the Mill Pond, frog jumping contests, live music, local food, and steam-power and water-power demonstrations in the Museum’s historic sawmill, gristmill and woodworking shop.

“The Independence Day Celebration is a day of authentic family fun,” says Liz Callahan, the Museum’s executive director. “The steam power demonstrations are a big draw, as is the Mill-made ice cream.”

Steam Power DemonstrationsHanford Mills Museum is one of the few places in the country that demonstrates steam power.

“Generating steam power is labor intensive and requires specific expertise. Staff and volunteers, known as the Steam Team, will be operating the wood-fired boiler and steam engines. July Fourth is the ideal time to explore American ingenuity,” said Callahan.

She noted that while the Museum operates the waterwheel during tours offered every Wednesday through Sunday, steam power demonstrations occur only a few times a year.

Free Ice Cream Samples, Food Vendors, and MusicVisitors can sample ice cream made on steam-powered churn chilled with ice cut during February’s Ice Harvest Festival. Tickled Pink BBQ will be selling pulled pork, hot dogs, burgers, and macaroni and cheese, the Farmer’s Wife will be selling pies and treats, and Shaver-Hill Farm will be selling maple products, including maple cotton candy. Visitors are welcome to bring picnics too. The Hanford Mills String Band featuring Peter Blue will perform in the Mill Yard.

Special Fun for KidsChildren 14 and under can take part in a fishing derby on the Mill Pond from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, with prizes awarded at 2 pm. Children can bring their own fishing poles and bait. There also will be poles available to borrow. Volunteers from the Dave Brandt Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be on hand to offer help and fishing tips. Frog-jumping contests will be held at 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm. Kids should bring frogs to participate in the races. Children can also take part in sack races, tug o’ war games, and play with a variety of blocks and gears in the Learning Lab.

New Exhibit on ViewVisitors can see the new exhibit “Today’s Schedule Did Not Go According to Plan.” It illustrates how the Mill complex has been kept in working order, including repairing building structures, restoring machines and equipment, and recreating the steam plant with a combination of a new, historically accurate boiler and a rehabilitated historic horizontal steam engine. The efforts of the Mills’ owners and employees, and later the Museum founders, supporters, staff and trustees, made it possible for visitors to continue to see and learn from the century-old technology still running the Mill today.

“With ice cream, jumping frogs, steam power, live music, fishing on the Mill pond, waterwheels, and local food, we have all the ingredients for a unique and happy Fourth of July,” says Callahan.

The Independence Day Celebration on July 4 runs from 10 am to 4 pm, with the Museum site open until 5 pm. The Independence Day Celebration is included with regular admission. Hanford Mills Museum is located at 51 County Highway 12 in East Meredith, at the intersection of Delaware County Routes 10 & 12, just 10 miles from Oneonta, and 15 miles from Delhi.

About Hanford Mills Museum

Hanford Mills Museum operates an authentic water- and steam-powered historic site. The mission of Hanford Mills Museum is to inspire audiences of all ages to explore connections among energy, technology, natural resources and entrepreneurship in rural communities, with a focus on sustainable choices. The Museum, which is listed on the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places, is open Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 am – 5 pm.

Children 12 and under, and Museum members receive free admission. Admission is $9 for adults and teens, $7 for seniors and AAA members, and $4.50 for retired military. Hanford Mills participates in the National Endowment for the Arts Blue Star Museum Initiative, so all active duty Military and their families receive free admission. Through the Museums for All program, anyone with an EBT card also receives free admission. East Meredith residents (13757) and nearby zip codes also get free admission. For more information, visit hanfordmills.org or call 607.278.5744.

###

For questions or to set up a interview, please contact Liz Callahan, lizc@hanfordmills.org, 607.278.5744.

PROGRAMS AT HANFORD MILLS MUSEUM

Family Saturdays

Come enjoy a field trip for families with special hands-on activities for kids. Take a kid-focused guided tour of the Mill’s historic water-powered sawmill, gristmill and woodworking shop, and see how water powers the mill and its century-old machines.

Be sure to stop in to the Learning Lab, which has a variety blocks, gears, and circuits for kids to build and explore.

2018 Family Saturday dates are: May 26, June 16, July 28, and September 1.

Activities for June 16 include the H2Olympics where kids can do fun experiments to learn about the properties of water.

Hanford Mills Museum has conducted an ice harvest for 30 years, and safety is the priority. At the Ice Harvest Festival on February 2, 2019, visitors will be welcome to walk on the frozen pond if the ice is 8 or more inches thick. If the ice is 6-8 inches thick, Hanford Mills staff will be on the ice, and visitors can help transfer the harvested ice to the ice house.

Just as farmers did a century ago, in the weeks leading up to the Ice Harvest we monitor ice conditions and shovel snow from the pond to foster a good crop of strong, clear ice. Snow acts as an insulator and hampers ice growth. In recent years, the depth of the ice has ranged from 7 inches to more than 18 inches.

January 11: Today we shoveled the snow from the pond and measured the ice at about 4 inches deep. With the next few nights dropping into the single digits (brrr!) it’s good ice making weather.

Ice Harvest Festival Tips:

Dress warmly in layers. Hats, mittens or gloves, and boots are recommended.

Please be aware that GPS provided directions can be unreliable in our area. Traveling on back roads can be difficult, especially in winter weather. Here are suggested directions, and we also welcome your phone calls 607/278-5744.

Free parking is available in the large lot across Route 12 from Hanford Mills Museum. Additional parking will be available at the Meredith Historical Society (the former Charlotte Valley Presbyterian Church) at 10044 Elk Creek Road.

Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors and AAA members, $4.50 for members of the military. See more information on admission discounts.

Kids 12 and under and Museum members get in free.

If you’d like to buy food on site, bring cash. Soup is $3, Cookies and Soda are $1 each.

Exhibitors who register by July 31 will receive a free Hanford Mills Museum baseball cap and be entered to win a wooden bench made at Hanford Mills Museum. Register by contacting Brendan Pronteau at Hanford Mills, by calling 607/278-5744, or send an email to brendanp@hanfordmills.org. Exhibitors can also download a registration form at hanfordmills.org.

“We are grateful for the exhibitors who share their collections with the Museum’s visitors,” says Liz Callahan, the Museum’s executive director. “The Antique Engine Jamboree celebrates the ingenuity of the past.”

The Antique Engine Jamboree also features steam-power and water-power demonstrations in the historic Mill, bluegrass music, BBQ, and kids’ activities.

About Hanford Mills Museum

Hanford Mills Museum operates an authentic water- and steam-powered historic site. The mission of Hanford Mills Museum is to inspire audiences of all ages to explore connections among energy, technology, natural resources and entrepreneurship in rural communities, with a focus on sustainable choices. The Museum which is listed on the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places is open Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 am – 5 pm.

Children 12 and under, and Museum members receive free admission. Admission is $9 for adults and teens, $7 for seniors and AAA members, and $4.50 for retired military. Hanford Mills participates in the National Endowment for the Arts Blue Star Museum Initiative, so all active duty Military and their families receive free admission. Through the Museums for All program, anyone with an EBT card also receives free admission. East Meredith residents (13757) and nearby zip codes also get free admission. For more information, visit hanfordmills.org or call 607.278.5744.

Hanford Mills Museum is located at 51 County Highway 12 in East Meredith, at the intersection of Delaware County Routes 10 & 12, just 10 miles from Oneonta, and 15 miles from Delhi.

Hanford Mills Museum features a new space for young children and their families to explore, build and create. The Learning Lab offers a range of activities, including building with gears and blocks from Keva and Imagination Playground, problem-solving challenges, mini-waterwheels and other power generation models, and a reading center with comfortable kid-sized seating.

“We created the Learning Lab to provide an inviting, kid-friendly space to foster innovation and creative problem solving,” says Liz Callahan, the Museum’s executive director. “Kids can explore topics highlighted in Mill tours like power, energy, technology, and sustainable resources. And, because young children learn through play, we have lots of fun activities for kids to choose from.” She noted that the Learning Lab is included with regular admission.

“Local families can view the Learning Lab as a resource they can visit again and again. It is an enjoyable, meaningful and affordable way for families to spend time together.” –Museum executive director Liz Callahan

Hanford Mills staff worked with museum education consultant Katie Boardman of the Cherry Valley Group and Museum Studies students from the Cooperstown Graduate Program to create a space especially for children 8 and under. The planning was supported in part by a grant from the Museum Association of New York.

Hanford Mills will continue to add activities to the Learning Lab, and will be installing solar panels on the roof of the building soon to provide opportunities to talk about solar power. The Learning Lab is located across the Mill pond from the Museum’s historic sawmill and woodworking shop.

Hanford Mills Museum to open new place for children to explore, create and build

Learning Lab Grand Opening part of Free Family Saturday on June 17

[ East Meredith, NY June 2, 2017] On June 17, Hanford Mills Museum will open the Learning Lab, a new space for young children and their families to explore and create. The Learning Lab offers a range of activities, including building with gears and blocks from Keva and Imagination Playground, problem-solving challenges, mini-waterwheels and other power generation models, and a reading center with comfortable kid-sized seating.

“We created the Learning Lab to provide an inviting, kid-friendly space to foster innovation and creative problem solving,” says Liz Callahan, the Museum’s executive director. “Kids can explore topics highlighted in Mill tours like power, energy, technology, and sustainable resources. And, because young children learn through play, we have lot of fun activities for kids to choose from.” She noted that the Learning Lab is included with regular admission.

“We are looking forward to having the space filled with children, and hope that local families will view this as a resource they can visit again and again,” said Callahan. “It is an enjoyable, meaningful and affordable way for families to spend time together.”

June 17 is a Free Family Saturday at Hanford Mills Museum, so any adult who is accompanied by a child under 18 receives free admission. Children and teens also receive free admission that day. Additional Free Family Saturday dates at Hanford Mills are July 22, August 12, and September 2.

Hanford Mills staff worked with museum education consultant Katie Boardman of the Cherry Valley Group and Museum Studies students from the Cooperstown Graduate Program to create a space especially for children 8 and under. The planning was supported in part by a grant from the Museum Association of New York.

Hanford Mills will continue to add activities to the Learning Lab, and will be installing solar panels on the roof of the building soon to provide opportunities to talk about solar power. The Learning Lab is located across the Mill pond from the Museum’s historic sawmill and woodworking shop.

About Hanford Mills MuseumAs one of only a handful of operating water-powered mills, Hanford Mills Museum has earned a place on both the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places. The mission of Hanford Mills Museum is to inspire audiences of all ages to explore connections among energy, technology, natural resources, and entrepreneurship in rural communities with a focus on sustainable choices.

Hanford Mills Museum is located at 51 County Hwy. 12, at the intersection of Delaware County Routes 10 and 12 in East Meredith, NY, 10 miles from Oneonta and 15 miles from Delhi. The Museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 10 am to 5 pm, and also on Labor Day and Columbus Day. Children 12 and under receive free admission, as do Museum members, anyone with an EBT card, and Museum neighbors who live in the following zip codes: 13757, 13739, 13786, 13750, and 13806.

For more information, visit www.hanfordmills.org or call 607.278.5744.